ONE OF MY seminar
students was a man of great faith that he built through overcoming
longtime alcoholism. When Dan came out on the other side of
his addiction, he embodied a remarkable blend of strength and
sensitivity.
"Sometimes I feel embarrassed," Dan told me privately.
"I spend most of my time sponsoring people 
trying to beat
their addictions. I'm on the phone and at meetings constantly.
I love it and my people are doing very well."
"Then what's the problem?" I had to ask.
"My income comes from car sales - I used to be in the
business. Now I buy and sell cars on a small scale from my home.
I turn around a couple of cars a week, which provides me with
enough income to spend the rest of my time supporting people.
I feel guilty because I work for just a few hours a week. Shouldn't
I have a real job?"
I laughed and told Dan, "You have the realest job in the
world. You are helping people improve the quality of their lives.
You are on the Divine Payroll."
If you stay true to your purpose of healing, no matter what
form it takes, universal sustenance will keep you on the payroll.
Your income may derive from your healing work or it may come
through another door. It doesn't matter. The deal is: You
heal, life supports you.
For an inspiring demonstration of this principle, watch the
film Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill. This touching
documentary chronicles the life of Mark Bittner, a gentle soul
who nurtured for a flock of wild parrots in San Francisco for
over 25 years. Bittner spent most of his time feeding, nursing,
and caring for this large flock, and did not do any other "work"
for two and a half decades. Yet, because people recognized his
devotion, he was given free rent, meals, and whatever else he
needed. Bittner was on the Divine Payroll.
One of my coaching clients is a radio announcer who hosted a
highly successful all-night show. He had a marvelous undercover
ministry, sending positive messages through words and music
to people awake 
during the night - folks who felt too troubled
to sleep, graveyard shift workers in prisons and mental institutions,
and creative spirits. Yet there grew a parting of ways between
him and his producers, who were more interested in adhering
to a commercial radio formula. Finally his show was cancelled
and he was out of radio work for an extended time.
One of the gifts of this period was his opportunity to use the
time for spiritual growth and inner healing, which he did quite
successfully. As time went on, he became concerned about sustaining
himself in the absence of his former income. Then one day during
a coaching session he casually mentioned to me that he had received
a large check as an inheritance from the passing of a distant
relative.
"Why didn't you tell me this in capital letters
and an exclamation point?" I asked him. "Can you
see that you are on the Divine Payroll?" Indeed he was.
Some people formalize their contract with God, which you may
wish to do as well. Charles and Myrtle Fillmore founded the
uplifting Unity Church movement back in 1889. Like many spiritual
leaders, the Fillmores began with a leap of faith. To formalize
this, the couple literally wrote a contract with God, stating
that their part would be to carry out their ministry with love
and integrity, and practice the principles to the best of their
ability. God's part would be to sustain them in finance,
health, and peace of mind. They signed the contract and lived
by it. Well more than a century later Unity continues to thrive
and grow, and has helped 
many millions of people improve their
lives. The Fillmores kept their end of the deal, and God kept
God's.
The same contract is available to you if you choose to exercise
it. Whether you identify your source as God, Spirit, life, love,
or universal sustenance matters less than that you recognize
a loving intelligence that provides for you. You may record
your contract on paper or in your heart. The truth works if
you work it.
Do not try to dictate or force the avenue through which your
paycheck comes. Spirit has ingenious ways to pay your due salary.
It may come directly from your clients or in a roundabout way.
A friend of mine wanted to live near the ocean, and a friend
of hers bought a million-dollar home on a Maui beach and asked
her to caretake it when he was not there - which is nearly all
the time. If you translate the value of living in that home
to dollars, the number is huge.
You, too, will be sustained if you are true to your trade. Just
remember the formula: You heal, life supports you. It's
a done deal.
